Letting Go

Why is it so hard to let go

I hear this over and over with clients, many of whom come to therapy because they are experiencing panic episodes or racing thoughts, having difficulty getting out of bed, avoiding friends or family. Once we explore this, I often find people are holding on desperately to negative people, places, and things in their lives: an ex-partner or one who won’t commit, a toxic relationship or job, unhealthy friendships. Living in this manner creates a stress cycle, which can cause anxiety and depression symptoms. 

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Holidays & Boundaries

Holidays are stressful. You are already coping with regular everyday anxiety and boom!, holiday season arrives, full of triggers. You’re invited to social events, work gift exchanges, family or friend group texts. And then there’s all the hype on social media, culminating in those annual highlight reels: images of happy people in beautiful settings, cute couples, families in matching pajamas cuddled together drinking hot chocolate…

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The Therapeutic Relationship

The decision to come to therapy is often not an easy one. It can be rife with stress about if it will be helpful, how we will be perceived, what emotions and issues will come up, what kind of commitment it may require, and how our lives may change through therapy. It is certainly a courageous act to trust a new person with the most vulnerable parts of our lives and selves in the search for relief. This process of establishing trust is central to one of the most important ingredients in therapy: the therapeutic relationship. 

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5 Ways to Rebuild Your Relationship with Yourself after a Breakup

Breakups are hard, even if the relationship was healthy and the breakup mutual. No one likes to hurt someone else or to feel hurt. Common thoughts or feelings after a breakup include: “I have a pit in my stomach and can’t eat,” “I lack closure,” “I can’t sleep,” “I’m not ready to date but everyone is pushing me to do so.” It’s important to grieve the loss of a relationship, and it’s okay to feel hurt, angry, lonely, insecure, or sad.

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How to Make Friends as an Adult

Making friends early in life was so easy: You met someone on the playground or sat beside them in class, shared a laugh, and BOOM, you were friends. If you’re like many others, you may find it’s not as easy when you get older, and work, spouses, kids, and “adulting” take up so much of your time.

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Ways to Manage Your Adolescent’s Screen Time

Summer break is on the horizon, and for parents and caregivers, this means adapting to more downtime for adolescents. In preparation, it’s a good idea to reflect on how this will affect the family, and to develop a plan to implement the necessary changes.

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The Storm of Adolescence

The years of adolescence are a time for children to establish independence from their parents, learn new concepts and skills, and claim an identity to help with transition into adulthood. This is a period of significant, and sometimes rapid, growth on many levels, which can be difficult to cope with for all parties involved. In 1904, the first psychologist to formally study adolescence framed it as a period of “storm and stress,” a view that still resonates with modern research on the now popular subject.

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